Tonkin no fish out of water on CW’s ‘Secret Circle’

TV's Top 10: New Faces for Fall - Phoebe Tonkin

It would be a mistake to tell Phoebe Tonkin she makes a spellbinding bad girl on the CW’s witchy new drama “The Secret Circle.”

“I think of Faye as bored,” she says with a laugh, “and magic is her vice. She’s just out to have a little fun.”

In the series, which is based on L.J. Smith’s young-adult novels, the high schooler’s brand of “fun” includes conjuring up a raging rainstorm and setting on fire the car of the new girl in town — while she’s still inside.

It’s a juicy role, one that allows Tonkin to frequently deliver wickedly delicious bits of dialogue.

“I love the way Faye eats up every snarky line she has,” says the actress.

Clearly, after years of “naive” girl gigs in her native Australia — most prominently on another supernatural series, “H2O: Just Add Water,” in which she played a mermaid — Tonkin is relishing her American debut. The fact that “Circle” is exec produced by Kevin Williamson only made the offer more appealing.

“He writes really good characters, especially for girls,” says Tonkin, who has high hopes for what the show could mean for her career. “Michelle Williams is one of my favorite actresses, and she stemmed from ‘Dawson’s Creek.’ “

For now, Tonkin is going with the flow on the show’s Vancouver set, where she’s already bonded with co-star (and new roommate) Britt Robertson, who plays the good girl to Tonkin’s bad — er, bored — one.

“We do all these scenes where’s we’re really mean to each other,” she reports, “and then we go home and we’re making each other cups of tea.”